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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Can't Stop Talking

“We cannot stop telling about everything we
have seen and heard.” The Apostles Peter and John, Acts 4:20 (NLT)

My husband, talking to others about Jesus.

There will be times when people
just want you to stop talking about Jesus. Sometimes you yourself will want to
stop. But you can’t. You can’t stop
talking about Him. You can’t stop telling people what He’s done for you. You
can’t stop talking about the things He has done, especially for you. I know I
can’t.

The world is no different than it
was in Peter and John’s time. There are leaders who want us as Christians to
shut up. Don’t talk about Jesus. Don’t tell things that lead up to Him. Sometimes
even other Christians don’t want us to speak up. Peter and John were just
reprimanded and told never talk about Him again. Their reply was truthful and
bold; “We cannot stop telling about
everything we have seen and heard.”

They had seen and heard some
pretty miraculous, exciting, life-changing things. Have you? Have you seen the
miracles of Jesus? Have you experienced something exciting? Have you been part
of something life-changing? If you know Jesus, you have! If you’re saved, then you
are something miraculous, exciting, and life-changing! If you have seen me, then you have seen all three of
these things, too.

Listen up dear lovelies all people who have experienced
salvation have experienced something life-changing, something miraculous,
something exciting. You can’t deny it. So why are you living quietly on the
sidelines, wishing you could be part of a move of God when you already are? Why
are you keeping that bottled up inside you when you could be shouting it from
the rooftops, encouraging someone else?

I don’t want people to think I’m weird.

Really? If you belong
to Jesus you’re already peculiar, so what does it matter if people think you’re
weird?

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into
his marvelous light;~1 Peter 2:9, KJV (emphasis mine)

You are a walking miracle. I am a
walking miracle. We were placed on the earth at this moment in time, for such a
time as this, to tell our story and bring hope, life, and encouragement to
someone who is walking in darkness.

Your story matters. You may think
it doesn’t have sparkle and zazz but to be quite honest, if Jesus is in the
middle of it, it’s full of sparkle and full of zazz! And no one can tell you
that it isn’t because they didn’t experience what you experienced. The only way
someone is going to know what the Lord did for you is if you tell them. So get
out there and tell them.

What if I just keep quiet?

I'll let Jesus answer that question:

He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones
along the road would burst into cheers!” Jesus, replying to the Pharisees who wanted
Him to rebuke His followers and keep them quiet. Luke 19:40 (NLT)

So you see? Even when Jesus
walked the earth, there were people who didn’t want His followers to speak
things about Him or about the things He had done in their lives. Yet, they
defied even the religious leaders of their time and were obedient to the Lord,
telling of the great things He had done not only in their lives, but of the
things they had seen Him do for others.

It’s our duty to do the same. We
can’t keep quiet. We can’t back down. Let me encourage you today to take a
stand. Stand up for what God has done in your life. Where would you be today
had He not saved you? So your salvation wasn’t explosive. That’s okay! But you’ve
been saved.

Although my salvation experience
wasn’t explosive, my healing was. Why? Because it happened thirty years after my salvation. It happened after
nearly a lifetime of suffering and pain. It happened at a time when I was
finally tired of going around and around in the black hole of depression and
anxiety. It happened at a time when I was tired of being intimidated by other
people when I could be standing tall and living the life God intended for me to
live. What if it helps one person find healing from depression? What if it
helps one person to be encouraged to take a stand? That’s why I talk so much about my healing.

Think about this: How can someone
else’s life be encouraged or changed by hearing your story?

About Me

Shelley Wilburn lives in Southern Illinois on a small piece of land she and her husband refer to as their Rinky Dink Farm. She is the author of the Walking Healed books, several articles, blog posts and book reviews. She has guest blogged for other blogs, co-authored devotionals, and spoken at various women’s gatherings.
Shelley has a unique healing testimony and finds great pleasure in helping to encourage, educate and inspire others to find hope, health and healing through her Walking Healed ministry.
Shelley is married to her high school sweetheart, D.A. They have three grown, married children, children-in-law, five grandsons and one granddaughter. They love raising chickens, having fun and taking impromptu trips to the mountains and secret getaways.
You can follow Shelley on her blog and social media pages; Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. You can also get firsthand updates on her books and new releases by signing up for her newsletter and following her on her Amazon Author page.